John watson



J. WATSON.

(No Model.)

^ BIT BRAGE.

No. 288348. PatentdNov; zo, 1883.

1 Imvcntor.

N. PE'IERS vmo-Litm m mr. Washington. n c

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrcr JOHN WATSON, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND JOHN C. OONWAY, OF SAME PLACE.

BIT-BRACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters 'Patent No. 288,'748, dated November 20, 1883.

Application filed September 5. 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may conccrn:

Be it known that I, JOHN WATSON, a citizen of the United States, residing in Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State ofNew York, have` invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bit-Braces, of which the following is a specification.` This invention' relates to that portion of a bit-brace which is adaptedfor holding and releasing the bit, all of which will be fully and clearly hereinafter shown by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is avertical central section through the head, rotating sleeve, and shank of the brace in the direction of line X X, Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is a similar section in the direction of line Z Z, Fig. 4, cutting through the slotted barrel, the sleeve, and the screw-mit. Fig. 3 is a plan or top View, showing the jaws\open to receivethe bit. Fig. 4 is a similar View, showing the jaws closed. Fig. 5 is a top View of the'screw-follower. Fig. 6 is a side elevaton of the slotted barrel, and Fig. 7 represents a section through a portion of thescrewfollower.

The head or upper part of the bit-socket a is made removable, and is Secured to the slotted barrel a' a' by means of screws a or other similar means. a

(0 is the rotating screw-sleeve, which embraces the screw-follower a and moves it up or down between the two portions of the slotted barrels. (See Fig. 1.) The follower a* is provided with a tapering hole, (6 (see Figs. 5 and 7,) and is arranged so as to slide vertically up and down on the guideways b, the downwardly-projecting portion b' b' clasping the gnideway and keeping it in alignment. It is provided with a screw-thread, b, adapted to fit in the thread in the screw sleeve or nut a The parts a' are each provided with the curved hook-shaped portions b The jaws b* b are each provided with a ta-.

pering shank, c, and the lower` horizontallyprojecting portions, c' c'. The portion b is provided with a slot, 0 through which a pin,

0 rigidly fastened to the opposite jaw, passes.

The portions c' le side by side, so that they are capable of moving to or from each other in the direction of and as far as the slot and pin will permit. -The upper portions of the jaws are made to incline inward, as shown at o so' that, as will be seen, the jaws,whenforced upward and the inclined portion passes up into the tapering head, will be made to approach each other. Both jaws are provided with the usual right-angle or corner grooves, 0 (see Figs. 3 and 4,) for holding the bit in place. Near the top of each jaw is a pin, d,

one on each side oi" each jaw. The object of these pins is to cause the upper part of the jaws to separate or open when the follower is brought down by the screw-sleeve a It will now be seen that as the screw-sleeve is turned so as to move the follower up the lower parts of the jaws are forced together by the follower, and the upper parts of the jaws are brought together as they are forced up into the tapering head. this means both ends of the bit are firmly gripped, whetherit be a tapering shank, or straight, square, or round, as the upper and lower portions of the jaws move so as to firmly hold it. The bracehead is put onto the usual brace in the ordinary way. The screw-sleeve a is kept in place by the lower part of the head a and the shoulders e.

I claim as my invention- 1. A bit-brace consisting of the slotted barrela' a', provided with the curved portions b in combnation with the jaws provided with the pins d, the head a, the follower, and the screw-sleeve, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In a bit-brace, the combnation of the follower (0 guideways b, and the screw-sleeve (d, substantially as and for the purposesde- 

